Heeding the Call
by SnerkyOne
Summary: A continuation to the ending for "In My Humboldt Opinion," because I really, REALLY hated that ending!


**Heeding the Call**

"I think I may have underestimated you," Mary said, stepping into the shower to join her erstwhile lover. As usual, Raph was more than willing to play. If there was one thing she could count on where he was concerned, it was that he was always up for a good time...

As he kissed his way down her neck, she idly wondered why she felt so... _not_ part of the action. Normally, by the time they were both naked, she was already more than halfway to the big happy. So what the hell was wrong with her?

Unbidden, Marshall's voice popped into her head, telling her it was all part of the reboot, that it was perfectly normal. Screwing her eyes shut, she tried to banish all thoughts of her partner from her mind. The last person she wanted hanging around in her head when she was about to have shower sex with a hot guy was Marshall!

_And why was that, exactly? _

Resolutely pushing the question aside, she forced her attention back to Raph, willing herself to feel something; to feel _anything..._

While her mind remained stubbornly detached, her body eventually started to respond to the attention he was lavishing on it. Gasping softly as his hands roamed ever lower, she reached for him, telling herself that this was enough, that this was really all she wanted out of a relationship anyway...

The loud ringing of her phone jolted her back to reality. "I have to get that," she said, disentangling herself from his embrace.

"Uh?" he uttered, looking dumbfounded. Which, granted, wasn't much of a departure from his normal expression, but still... He _did_ look more confused than usual...

"My phone," she explained slowly. "It's ringing."

"So?" he asked, now starting to look annoyed. "You just got here from work. Surely they can do without you for a few hours."

"A few hours?" she snickered involuntarily. The man might be good, but he was overestimating his staying power quite a bit there...

"What's so funny?" he demanded, sounding increasingly irritated.

"Nothing," she replied, willing herself _not_ to laugh. "I do have to take that, though," she said, stepping out of the shower and grabbing her phone off the counter. "What's up?" she asked after hitting the SEND button, already knowing who was on the other end of the line. She'd long ago stopped asking herself how she always knew when it was her partner; she just did, and that was that.

"Where are you?" her partner asked, sounding curious. "You're all echo-y."

"I was just getting out of the shower," she replied, glossing over the where & with whom.

"Oooh... Are you still naked?" he asked innocently, though she imagined his expression was anything _but_ innocent at the moment.

"Yes, Marshall, I'm naked," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Now focus!"

"Trouble with a witness," he said succinctly, instantly switching back to work mode. "Wanna come with?"

"What do you think?"

"Pick you up?"

"No!" she exclaimed a little too abruptly. The last thing she wanted was for Marshall to pick her up here... "It's fine. I'll just meet you."

"All right. Address is 1453 Ponderosa Pines."

"Meet you in 20," she confirmed, juggling the phone while getting dressed.

"Okay dokey," he replied before ending the communication.

_What a dork_, she thought affectionately, a small smile on her face. Tucking the phone into her pocket, she turned to find a very pissed-off-looking Raph dripping all over the floor.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"Work," she said as she hunted for her shoes. Work always came first; he should be used to that by now...

"That didn't sound like work," he countered, looking at her accusingly.

"Oh for god's sake," she mumbled, exasperated. "I am not having this conversation, especially not with you. I need to go to work now. End of story," she said as she walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the front door without so much as a glance back.

"And who the hell is Marshall?" she heard him shout as she closed the door behind her.

_Who is Marshall? What the hell..._

That's when it hit her. She had never, _ever_, mentioned Marshall to Raph.

Not once.

How could she not have told her supposed boyfriend about the most important person in her life?

Frowning, she fished her phone out of her pocket and hit speed dial. "I'm on my way now," she told Marshall, not bothering to identify herself. Marshall would know, just like she always did, so why waste time? "So what's the problem with the witness?" she asked as she climbed into her car and gently coaxed the engine to life.

There was work to do; everything else would have to wait...


End file.
